Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-02-17
A BABY ORANG.

a BABY ORANG.
He Was So Knowing That He Never Had
Any Name But the '.Old Man."
Mr.. Hornaday, the chief taxidermist
of the National Museum at Washing
ton, who spent two years in the jungles
of India and Borneo, in the search for
specimens of natural history, gives a
most interesting account of baby
orang-outang which he possessed. The
little fellow was about six months old
when he was brought to Mr.. Hornaday
by some natives, and was of a mild and
gentle disposition, very different from
other young ones which fell into his
hands from time to time. and became
at once confiding, whining softly when
approached, and rolling up his big
brown eyes appealingly.
Judged by our standard of human
beauty" his owner says, ''he was per-
haps as ugly as any healthy child could
be and live; but for all that, his home
illness was interesting; it seemed to
conform to general plan of ugliness,
and nothing was lacking to make it per-
feet"
His eyes were large, bright, and full
of intelligence, and he had the forehead
of a philosopher, and because of his
bald and shiny pate, his solemn,
wrinkled, melancholy visage, and an
air of profound gravity, he never had
any other name given him than ''Old
Man"
His height was about % inches, his
spread of arms S44 inches, and his
weight 1O4 pounds. With short, thick
body, his arms were so long and his
legs so short that by STOPPING forward
a little his hands easily touched the
ground. In walking he always went
on all-fours, turning his toes under,
and placing the back of the fingers and
the ball of the thumb on the ground.
His gait was that of a man going on
crutches, and he seemed quite out of
his element on the ground, but in
climbing, his feats were wonderful.
He very soon learned to climb up
his masters body, to get a banana.
placed on his shoulder, and soon be-
came fond of being held in his arms;
and when Mr. Hornaday was tired of
holding him, he grasped the folds of
his flannel shirt and hung on himself
quite different from human babies of
the same age. Next to eating seven OF
eight bananas as fast as he could, his
greatest delight seemed to be in lying
in his masters lap, sprawling out with
legs and arms, and catching at every
thing within reach.
Sometimes at dinner he would sud-
denly seize a roast fowl, and have his
teeth in it before he could be stopped,
like spoiled child of three or four
years. Sometimes he watched his mas
ter eating, squatted on the topmost
round of his chair, leaning forward
and resting his chin on his owners
shoulder. For long time he would
eat nothing but bananas and sugar
cane, and Mr.. Hornaday was at his
wits ends to teach him to eat boiled
rice, which was necessary in travelling,
when they could not be sure of fruit.
Finally, as he was watching over the
shoulder, one day, he began to open
his mouth every time he saw a spoon
full of rice coming, but was not allowed
to have it. Then he became very anx-
ious for it, and little tantalizing set
him struggling to get it, and after that
there was no difficulty about the rice,
especially if mixed with little milk.
Then he learned to eat cooked meats,
vegetables, canned fruit, bread and to
drink tea and coffee-in fact, all hui
man food-but was teetotaler, for he
never would drink wine, beer or spirits.
The ''old man" soon grew fat, and al
so mischievous, playing all sorts of
tricks and antics, and pretending to
bite his masters hand.
Sometimes he would make the most
comical faces, with his great, broad,
India-rubber lips, by the half-hour to-
gether with the most curious contor-
lions of the limbs. For some time he
slept with his master-not being OBJ
jectionable, as he was very clean-but,
as he got fat, he got into the habit of
snoring and sneezing, so that he had
to be put in other quarters.
Whenever it began to rain, even if
he was under roof, the baby orang
would invariably cover his head and
body with loose straw or clothing, and
he never voluntarily went into any
water, and could never be induced even
to try to swim. Once, while Mr.. Horna-
day was in bathing, the ''old man" sat
on the bank looking on, and when he
thought he was not noticed, gradually
climbed tree beyond reach, and would
not come down. Finally, some natives
reached the tree above him, frightened
him, and he came bouncing down into
his masters arms.
AS he got older, he became more and
more anxious about meal hours, and if
not served at once, he would throw him
self down upon the floor, kick and
scream and shrek, exactly
like spoiled child. A switching only
made him scream louder.
He never took to strangers, nor, in
deed, to any one bat his master; and
whenever it Numbered, or dog Or
other strange animal came about, he
always hurried to take refuge in Mr.
Hornaday's arms.
OWhen nothing alarmed him, and his